As counter-intuitive as it may seem, strong reputations are built on nearly destroyed reputations.

The only way to build a strong reputation is to constantly challenge it.

You have to beat it up, take risks, look stupid, feel shame, and then overcome.

No one else can do this for you.

You have to throw yourself into the middle of adversity and sharpen your skills in combat, not on the sidelines.

Expose yourself to challenges again and again until you have mastered strategies for overcoming any challenge.

Mastery is the gateway to legacy but it comes at the price of exposure.

4. Make your environment a product of you.

No plan survives contact with the enemy.

In other words, no plan is perfect.

No plan will remain 100% intact after confronting the reality of manipulative people, surprise circumstances, and unseen obstacles.

The road towards building a legacy is long and hard, and you’ll stumble, fall and fail along the way.

You’ll fall because you can’t see everything in advance.

No matter how much you plan, there will be surprises.

You don’t know what you don’t know.

Opposition might be harsher than you expected, or you might discover situations you had no idea existed.

The only way to prevent this is to plan far ahead while staying flexible in the moment.

You must work tirelessly to not only understand your environment and adapt to it, but to take hold of it and mold it to your liking.

You must enter into every situation with an understanding of the worst-case scenario, as well as a plan of attack for the worse-case scenario.

At the same time, you must be willing to take relentless action forward.

You must keep your mind and your actions positive and productive.

You must adapt your environment to your will.

Of course, it won’t always be easy to keep moving forward.

You’ll want to quit at times, because it’s too hard or too painful or too uncertain.

But, if you keep your goal in mind, if you stay true to the reputation and legacy you’re building, you will succeed.

All opposition is meant to be overcome.

You were meant to overcome your obstacles in life.

You were meant to be remembered for your greatness, not for your struggles.

Your reputation and your legacy are stronger than any challenge you will ever face.

5. Refuse to stay satisfied.

Satisfaction is the first sign of decline.

Satisfied people are no longer hungry.

They’ve had their fill of life and of growth.

As a result, these people have no desire to grow anymore, they have no desire to fight.

Celebrating a win is one thing.

Resting on success like a stuffed pig is another.

You should never be so pleased with yourself that you stop pushing yourself forward.

You should never be so content that you let yourself enter the land of ‘good enough.’

Instead, you should always be a little uncomfortable, a little restless, a little unsettled.

What you’re fighting for in life is NOT ‘good enough.’

No, what you’re fighting for is greatness.

You’re fighting for a life of true independence and true freedom.

You’re fighting for an adventurous life where you can give freely to others.

A life where other people recognize your value quickly and where you recognize the value in others quickly.

A life where you have the power to stand up for yourself and what you believe in and actually do something about it.

You were meant to have a strong reputation that precedes you.

You were meant to leave a legacy after you’re gone.

But it doesn’t come easy.

It takes work, grit, knowledge, awareness, and mastery.

Building a strong reputation and leaving a legacy in life is not easy. The key is realizing what you’re working for—a form of immortality. Everyone wants to be remembered but few people want to do the necessary work of crafting a reputation and a legacy. Few people want to face the fact that they have enemies and will meet new enemies in the future. Few people want to work on themselves, work on their emotions, or work to change their environment. You can be different but you must be willing to get uncomfortable. You must be willing to plan ahead and to take flexible, positive and productive action. Do this and you’ll live a more confident and focused life. Until next time, live like a lion.

To learn more about building a strong reputation that leaves a legacy behind, and to get instant access to exclusive training videos, case studies, insider documents, and my private online network, get on the Escape Plan wait list.